London living with lady Sarah

So my aunt is leaving tomorrow, the long weekend at the Renaissance St Pancras Hotel, is over and she is going skiing. Lucky thing. In the meantime we ‘tested’ some of the treatments at the St Pancras spa, (currently in the process of recovering from the after effects, with a fruit punch.) Who doesn’t love a good SPA treatment, though realistically, I have neither the time, nor the funds to indulge too often. Good SPA hotels, will be eye wateringly expensive- and most of us can only get to them very occasionally.

lady Sarah’s DIY SPA experience. my last SPA holiday was I think last October, a distant memory! Since then, a relaxing SPA break starts in my own bath tub with some natural coarse salts and a few drops of favourite aromatherapy oils. (lemon & rosemary are invigorating and prepare me for a yoga session, lavender & petitgrain are calming and soothe before bedtime. Put the oil drops in small cup of full fat milk to dilute and disperse. Do not use oils directly on skin or in the bath, as they can be irritants. Only buy good quality oils from specialist suppliers. The inferior ones have no effect whatsoever and are a waste of money.) the aromatherapy infused steam is meant to be very therapeutic. DIY body scrub: A large wooden skin brush can be one of your best home spa accessories. Daily skin brushing can be very helpful, it improves circulation, rumour has it that it can diminish cellulite, exfoliates and polishes the skin – all in one go. Brush in long, firm, upward strokes towards the direction of the heart . Using a dry skin brush, before the bathing ritual is an easy and excellent habit to get into. I prefer the brush method, rather than buying various scrubs, as the brush never runs out and never leaves a messy residue in the bath tub. Face masque: Applying a thicker layer of regular moisturiser cream can become an intensive facial – hydration masque, whilst relaxing in a scented bath. Just slather it on, especially where skin is prone to wrinklifie…Divine! Hair treatment: Its a good time to give hair some attention. According to my hairdresser a weekly hair masque is essential for anyone with longer hair, especially if it has been coloured or processed in any way. Usually cover the ends of mine in Philip Kingsley elasticer extreme, comp through it and allow the steam to give me a quick treatment, while I am in the bath.

After the bath: For lovely, glowing and healthy skin check out this – a nourishing dry oil which can be applied everywhere skin, face and hair. Made with mostly natural ingredients, rehydrates parched, dehydrated skin and gives a very subtle, golden glow… So no need to fry myself in the sun attempting a tan. Apparently it can also be used as a hair masque, though I haven’t tried that.

eat Spa Food: A light healthy meal- plan in advance. Avocado salad is a favourite of mine. Avocados contain those essential fatty acids that help skin retain its plumpness and youthful glow. What I find is that minimising processed food and drinking plenty of water and green tea has the same effect as a month long spa holiday. For feeding the skin and general care look into gentle organic productsBody shaping & well being: our body absolutely thrives on movement. Practising Yoga realigns, strengthens, improves posture and detoxes the skin, like no facial ever will! Need I say more? Create a balanced and well thought out home yoga routine . All yoga is not the same, so choose wisely, it needs to be practiced regularly to keep mind & body in top form. A weekly ritual is far more effective than sporadic spa visits. Enjoy!

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More on the Renaissance St Pancras hotel here and spa details to follow. Also a comparative post with the SPA at One Aldwich hotel…